How can computers help my child?

These days you can find a wide range of computer-based resources for learning, and as with books and television programmes, it takes time and effort to find ones which are good quality and suitable for your child. There are many free websites offering games, resources and activities for children, ranging from websites with nursery rhymes and songs, to sites offering games and materials to help children who are starting to read, story-building sites and sites with activities to support maths and science learning. Of course, there is also a huge range of educational resources and games available on CD-ROM, for varying ages.

The appeal of computer-based activities over television, for example, is that they are interactive and can aid the development of a number of key skills, such as manual dexterity, conceptual skills, problem-solving and memory-building. Nevertheless, this medium, like any other, is only as good or as useful as the material on it.

When is it right to start my child on a computer?
Many experts do not recommend that children under 3 years old use computers at all. The reason for this is that young children learn more effectively in other ways, generally through physical interaction with their surroundings – that is, through what they can see, touch, taste, smell and manipulate. Many of the skills which young children need to develop, such as walking, communicating and making friends, are not best served by sitting in front of a computer screen. In fact the best way for children to learn is through play itself, whether it is imaginative, creative or problem solving.

It’s also true that small children don’t have the attention span necessary to concentrate on a computer screen, nor do they have the skills necessary to press keys and manipulate a computer mouse. As a result, children may well become bored if they can’t use the computer themselves and have to rely on mum or dad to do all the interesting bits. They will lose interest in the computer, and you may have a hard time rekindling it later on.

How do I start my child on a computer?
If your child is starting to show an interest in the computer, for example watching you avidly as you send emails or surf the net, or trying to press the keys himself, then you might want to consider sitting them on your lap and looking at a few sites designed for young children. Avoid anything with confusing, fast-moving graphics and images and loud music – these will be overwhelming for your child. Good quality sites which have been developed for small children will have a small number of simple images, music which is simple and unobtrusive and large images or icons which can be easily selected by little hands.

Once your child is 3 or over, they are developmentally ready to start using a computer and it can be a useful learning support tool for this age group. The key is to let them have plenty of time to try it out and master the necessary skills such as pressing keys, using cursor arrows and manipulating the mouse.  Your child will love the experience of clicking on an image or icon and seeing what pops up next on the screen. Look for sites or software which have activities which are accessible to your child, and don’t rely too heavily on an adult reading instructions or other text on screen. Chances are, if they can play the game themselves without any help from you, for example building a person by clicking on the kind of eyes, mouth and clothes they want him to have, they will be more motivated to explore further.

Go to our Educational Chat section to ask other parents how they found a computer helped their child.

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